I am not normally fond of flip-flop novels, ones where the story jumps between characters and times on a per chapter basis. However, Emilia Hart made this one work rather splendidly. Weyward covers the lives of three strong women who share an ancestral link and all three could potentially be called witches. The portrayal of these women was rather lovely, something I recognise as I live with a hedge witch. They all share a sense of natural justice although there was the odd exception and the repercussions that would deliver back to someone using the gift were not explored. I was almost certain the witch trial was going to have a different outcome and found it quite refreshing when my prediction didn't come true. Very much an immersive reading experience but similarities with a Hitchcock movie lost it one star.

How are 3 women linked from different times?

From Altha who lives in the 1600’s who lives with her mum and helps the sick people in there small village.

Or Violet who is growing up in the 1940’s with a father who doesn’t even seem to even like her..

Present day there is Kate who is trying to hide from her abusive boyfriend, she needs to find somewhere save to live.

Their stories are entwined within each other with secrets a plenty, this is a really good page turner from start to finish, l would highly recommend this book.

On the face of it I should have thoroughly enjoyed this book but it was a bit simplistic in its storytelling for my liking. There were too many obvious links between story lines and slightly basic character development. It had an interesting plot which was easy to read but the writing needs a lot more maturity.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read an advanced copy.

The story of three women across the centuries, with a strong connection of nature, nurture and witchcraft linking them. Magic realism or a strong affinity with nature rears its sometimes ugly head, and natural healers are put to death in seventeenth century witch hunt trials. In modern times there is a more traditional abuse of women, and women need to find strength to withstand the dominance and power struggle inflicted on them. There is much more to this story though, and I found it interesting how the author weaves the thread of family bonds, where we are led through each of the womens’ stories to understand the whole.

An engrossing read set in three time zones: Altha in 1619, Violet in 1942 and Kate in 2019. The women are all from the same family although it takes the novel's length for latter two to work it out. The novel deals with some serious issues of male abuse - across generations - miscarriage, rape and injustice.
The plot is easy to follow and I found the three female character feisty and in the main believable. I liked the sense of place with the big hall and the small cottage and descriptions of the insects and creatures were well done too.
I did have a few issues with the story however. Altha is tried as a witch but is found not guilty (by a jury?) which I'm pretty sure wouldn't happen so I was forced to suspend belief there. Then Violet wears tights in 1942? Really? And finally you can't expect me to believe that a heavily pregnant woman can pull a ladder up into an attic space behind her. It would be incredibly awkward and straining. Finally, whilst I enjoyed Freddie's comeuppance I found it hard not to believe in modern insecticides but perhaps I'm being too literal and allowing myself to believe enough.
All in all a good read, that built in pace as it went along. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc copy in return for an honest review.

I love a novel that moves across timelines so this was a winner for me! Weyward follows three generations of women with the novel being told from their points of view. It flows well from one timeline to the other.
Please be aware that it does however deal with some sensitive issues - assault, domestic violence, miscarriage and rape.
An excellent debut 📚

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and The Borough Press for the opportunity to read and review this outstanding ARC.

I was hooked right from the start of this book, and it’s premise. It’s told through the voices of 3 women, in three different times. I thought it might be confusing but it really flows well. Altha, Violet and Kate, connected over the centuries by blood, with an affinity with nature. There has been a lot written about witches over the years, and the way they were treated, but this is up there with the best of those. A powerful read, about powerful women, in times when they were just chattel to men, to their whims and violence. The characters are intriguing and so well written, the descriptions of the area they live is wonderful, and so easy to imagine Weyward Cottage with its garden and wildlife. This book had me reading into the early hours, I just couldn’t put it down. Loved it. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book is fabulous. I was lucky to have a long flight to devour this and read it in one sitting. It cleverly weaves stories of 3 generations each with strong similarities in their respective worlds. The writing is beautiful, the characterisation deep and wholly believable creating a story that you can quickly loose yourself in and feel the individual personalities of the main characters.
The story telling is beautiful and the subject matter something not often touched upon in modern stories but delivered in a sensitive and reflective way.
This would be a fantastic book club read as there are so many aspects to look at and discuss and is a book that I think will draw different stories and strengths for different readers.
Thank you for letting me enjoy this copy.

Wayward by Emilia Hart

KATE, 2019
Kate flees London – and her abusive partner – for Cumbria and Weyward Cottage, inherited from her great-aunt. There, a secret lurks in the bones of the house, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.
VIOLET, 1942
Violet is more interested in collecting insects and climbing trees than in becoming a proper young lady. Until a chain of shocking events changes her life forever.
ALTHA, 1619
Altha is on trial for witchcraft, accused of killing a local man. Known for her uncanny connection with nature and animals, she is a threat that must be eliminated…
To say this is a wonderful read is an understatement. To find out It is a debut novel blew me away.
Three women , three different timelines , one cottage .
I loved reading about Altha , Violet & Kate , all interesting characters in their own way , I liked how the different eras with the problems that they bring effected them. I was really hoping it all worked out for them.

I'm sure this novel will do very well: it hits a lot of buttons (time-slip, witches and so on). However, I found it a rather derivative genre novel (not to speak of some jarring anachronisms - a pre-war young woman wears 'tights', which weren't invented till the 1960s - and I'm no historian of costume!) where I could see the end coming a mile off. I think it's quite hard to do something new and original with this trope, and Hart's writing doesn't quite rise to the challenge.

But, as I say, I'm sure it'll do splendidly - there's a big market for this kind of thing, so I wouldn't be too bothered about one grumpy reviewer.

Thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful novel about Weyward women in three different timelines. Altha, tried as a witch in 1619; Violet in 1942, with an abusive father; and Kate, Violet’s grandniece, in an abusive controlling relationship set in 2019. Nature, strength and a bit of witchiness is in each woman’s story and there is no weak link. It’s very well done and I found it hard to put down.

Wow! What an incredible story. So well written that I could imagine myself there.
Three weyward women born at different times. Each with a heart breaking story but bound together across the centuries.
I couldn’t put it down.

I received a free copy of the eARC from NetGalley, and devoured in a couple of sittings. The three main characters really caught my attention and investment early on, and I was on tenterhooks on how things would progress in their respective histories. The characters were strong, likeable and interesting women who were caught up in circumstances beyond control, all at the mercy of controls established by men in different timescales.

I really enjoyed how the author nicely wrapped up the queries/mysteries that cropped up as the book progressed, though felt that the fate of the antagonist in Kate’s story could have benefited with a bit more content. Great debut, looking forward to the next book!

Tw: rape, assault, miscarriage, domestic violence

Gripping, beautifully descriptive and sometimes uncomfortable, I read it in one sitting.

Weyward follows three generations of women with an extraordinary connection to nature. The novel is told from each of their points of view and the time jumps are masterfully woven together. I found the changes in tense between the POVs a little jarring, particularly Kate's being told in the present tense. However, as the book went on, it became clear this was a deliberate stylistic choice and increased the tension to an almost unbearable level.

I enjoyed the descriptive language around the witchcraft; it brought it to life in a hugely believable way by using everyday sights and sounds of nature and amplifying them. Despite arguably being a fantasy/magic themed book, the plot is rooted in everyday trauma and human experiences. I saw some of the twists coming but the pacing meant I was on edge waiting for it to happen to the point where I had almost started to think I was wrong and relax, which made it more of a gut punch when it finally happened. A stunning debut, I look forward to reading more from Emilia Hart.

Weyward’s eerie, spooky atmosphere is very reminiscent of Collins’s ‘the Binding’, and the characters remind me a little of those from Beautiful Creatures, covering a hole and beginning to fill it. The book was more dynamic than Bridget Collins’, which I quite appreciated, although the action built and really climaxed in the last 100 pages, something I often find happens with début authors. However in this case, it really helped bump the rating up. I also found it very satisfying to see all the timelines merge as the characters came together.

Although I rounded my rating up due to the character development and action in the latter half of the book, there were still some inconsistencies in the story and slight mishaps in grammar in general that haltered me giving it a higher rating, but as this is still an early copy I’m sure these will get ironed out soon! It also slightly annoyed me slightly that the actions of the three female protagonists were all shaped by men, although I believe the point of this was to critique toxic masculinity and misogyny experienced by women in all periods of time.

Overall, this was a really good read, and another great addition to my Autumnal reads pile! As mentioned, I definitely recommend this to fans of the atmosphere of ‘the Binding’ and characters of ‘Beautiful Creatures’, but with a more feminist cast!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

My goodness what a book - it completely blew me away! Without a doubt one of my favourite reads of 2022 - such a clever concept and what talent to weave the very different lives of these three women together in one powerful, emotive and thrilling novel. You have left me speechless.

A brilliant tale of three women from the same ancestral line told across five centuries. They all have a great affinity with nature that seems to be as essential to them as oxygen, a gift that others are frightened of. Despite living centuries apart, each of them face the controlling power of men as they journey to find their power, their identity and hold onto their family legacy, even at risk of death.

I really enjoyed this book. I found the movement between centuries to be really well done. There are plenty of books which, in my opinion, have not achieved this well and I’ve been keen to get back to a particular story line. The balance between characters felt right and I came to love each of them in turn. I particularly loved the connection between the women and the thread of female power being passed on through the generations.

Heads up - this book does touch on abuse (verbal, physical, emotion and sexual) abortion and child loss. Whilst I think it is necessary to story and isn’t described at enormous length, I recognise that it will be a trigger for some.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked "Weyward" by Emilia Hart. It brings together three Weyward (family) women in different time periods: Altha accused of witchcraft in the 1600s, Violet who learns how to deal with a difficult change in family circumstance in the 1940s and Kate who flees from her abusive partner in the near-present day. A fine balance of witchcraft and those who stand in the way of these women. Will be on the look out for the next book by Emilia Hart.

I loved this book!
I think this will be a favourite of many when it is published.
The story was incredible and the characters and the writing was amazing.
I absolutely recommend this to everyone!
I found it a bit slow in places which is why I am giving it 4 instead of 5 stars.

An interesting mix of stories from three generations of women from the same family. Their magical gift of healing bringing them into conflict with the world around. Sadly all the males are abusive. Gender stereotyping took away some of my enjoyment of the story. I do not want my granddaughters growing up to think all males are controlling and abusive.